RailRiders Insider 7/20/2014

A note: So, Bryan Mitchell’s second Triple-A start wasn’t exactly one to write home about. But the outing may have told more about the park he was pitching in than the quality of the pitcher on the mound. Mitchell allowed four homers — leadoff blasts in the second, third and fourth innings, and a two-run shot two batters into the fifth — in the RailRiders’ 9-5 loss to Charlotte on Thursday night. How amazing is that number? It’s more than half the total of the most homers Mitchell has ever allowed in a season to this point. His previous high was seven allowed during his 2012 season at Class A Charleston. Something else to consider, though: The Knights have hit 38 more homers than any other team in the IL this season. They’ve also allowed 10 more than anybody else. Certainly, the posh new BB&T Ballpark in downtown Charlotte has something to do with that.

A quote: “When this team pitches well, we win games. We put up a lot of runs every single time we go out there. When the pitchers throw well, we win. That has spoken for itself. It really just comes down to our pitching.” — RailRiders catcher Austin Romine, pretty much summing up the RailRiders’ first half.

A number: .362. That’s RailRiders All-Star second baseman Jose Pirela’s on-base percentage this season, which stands to be his career best above rookie ball if he can keep it at that level or improve on it in the second half. In Wednesday’s Triple-A All-Star Game, Pirela reached base in two of his three plate appearances, both on walks.

Around the IL

News and notes from around the International League during the past week:

■ Las Vegas 1B Allan Dykstra won the Triple-A Home Run Derby on Tuesday night in Durham. Matt Hague of Indianapolis hit six in the first round to lead IL participants.

■ This wasn’t a bad week for Gwinnett 3B Phil Gosselin. He won batter of the week honors in the league, going 18 for 26 while slugging 1.192. He played for the IL in Wednesday’s All-Star Game, then got called up by Atlanta to open the second half in the bigs.

■ Charlotte 3B Matt Davidson had two of Charlotte’s six homers against the RailRiders on Thursday night, and since the start of June, he has ripped 12 home runs.

Promotion of the week

Christmas in July

Friday vs. Pawtucket

Q&A

This week, young outfielder Taylor Dugas talks about his best ability on the baseball field: Getting on base, any way possible.

Q: How encouraged are the way you’ve played since being promoted from Double-A?

A: I feel pretty good. I don’t really worry about results. I’m more about controlling my at-bats, trying to put a quality at-bat together. Then, putting a good swing on the ball and making hard contact. After you make contact with the ball, you can’t really control what happens anyway. Those are the things I’ve been kind of focusing on, and just trying to stay consistent with it.

Q: Everyone has kind of called you an “on-base guy.” You have a .419 career OBP, and it’s .384 even as you’re getting used to Triple-A. What does being an “on-base guy” mean to you, other than just being a guy who gets on base?

A: To me, It means you grind out at-bats. You make pitchers work. I feel good about my swing, but I’m OK to take my walks whenever they happen. It’s just about being patient at the plate.

Q: Another thing you’ve been able to do is play for a lot of good teams, from your time at the University of Alabama and through the Yankees system. How does your approach at the plate contribute to that?

A: Typically, with teams I’ve played on in the past, when I get on base we kind of tend to score. That’s just my M.O. I pride myself on getting on base a lot.

Q: Is working counts and getting on base something anybody can work hard to do, or is that more a natural talent?

A: That’s kind of how I always played. I always hit leadoff in college, and that’s kind of what I was asked to do: Get on base and make things happen. That’s just my game. I don’t try to hit home runs and things like that. I know me as a player. That’s just how I play.

Q: Was there a player you watched and molded yourself after growing up?

A: I watched a lot of baseball growing up. My favorite player was always (Derek) Jeter, how he grinded out at bats. Same with (Shane) Victorino, how he always battled. I just watched a lot of guys in the big leagues who typically are there because they grinded out at-bats.

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